Winnetka Village Council race heats up

Two independent candidates challenge caucus picks in Winnetka council race

December 10, 2013|By Karen Ann Cullotta, Chicago Tribune reporter

Winnetka residents Carol Fessler (left) and Marilyn Prodromos filed petitions at Winnetka Village Hall recently to include their names on the March 18, 2014, ballot challenging Caucus candidates for seats as Trustees on the Winnetka Village Council. (Provided by Carol Fessler and Marilyn, handout)

The Winnetka Caucus trustee slate for the March 2014 election is getting some unexpected competition, with two independent candidates stepping up to join an increasingly heated race for three open seats on the Winnetka Village Council.

The announcement that Winnetka residents Carol Fessler and Marilyn Prodromos were joining the trustee race came via an email blog from Anne Dillon, a volunteer with the Winnetka Homeowners Association, or WHOA.

On Nov. 29, Fessler spent the afternoon greeting visitors who dropped by her Winnetka home to add their names to a petition that requires the signatures of at least 119 residents for a candidate to enter the race.

Fessler also collected signatures for a second independent candidate who was out of town for the holidays, Prodromos, a former dentist who is an administrator with the Illinois Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center.

"I have a proven commitment to the village and I've demonstrated my command of the issues," Fessler said. "I was recruited to run by friends in the community who know it's important to have someone on the Village Council who can leave their agenda at the door and serve the will of the people of Winnetka."

A former professional opera singer who went on to earn an MBA from the University of Chicago before working in finance, executive compensation and strategic planning at corporations including Amoco and Centel, Fessler is also a former Winnetka Caucus volunteer who served as chairman of the Winnetka Caucus Council village platforms committee in 2012.

Fessler said she stepped away from the caucus in 2012 because of what she described as a structural change in the organization, which she alleged puts too much power in too few hands.

"I felt like more and more, the caucus has taken it upon themselves to have veto power over decisions," Fessler said.

For example, Fessler said she disagreed with the caucus' recent decision not to re-slate Trustee Jack Buck — a move that allegedly led Trustee Patrick Corrigan to drop out of the race.

"Our village council has one of the shortest trustee term limits in the area — a maximum of two, two-year terms," Fessler said. "When you have candidates with greater experience, they are better informed, and you're not always having to start over again and again with every election."

While Fessler and Prodromos each needed to acquire 119 signatures of Winnetka registered voters, both candidates filed more than 350 signatures.

"The number of signatures we submitted is nearly three times more than the required amount," Prodromos said in a statement. "That level of support indicates how seriously Winnetka voters take us as candidates."

The news that two additional candidates were vying for the three open trustee seats — bringing the total number of contenders up to five — was not surprising to Winnetka Caucus Council Chairwoman Kim Handler.

Last month, roughly 150 residents gathered at the Winnetka Caucus' annual town meeting to approve the caucus slate, which includes incumbent candidate Stuart McCrary, as well as newcomers Mirela Gabrovska and Scott Lewis.

Handler said while caucus members spent more than nine months determining who were the best three candidates to comprise the trustee slate, she said the century-old organization's mission is not intended to promote a political candidate or agenda, but on the contrary, to serve as a conduit to the community.

"Technically, the caucus is not a political party, so everyone who runs for trustee is an independent candidate," Handler said.

"Certainly the village council election process will not be as straightforward as an uncontested election, but the role of the caucus is to encourage people to get out and meet all the candidates, and above all, to get out and vote," Handler said.